Think You Can’t Decorate Tastefully With a Tight Budget? Think Again. Make Your Living Room Look Expensive on the Cheap

It’s no secret that interior design can be expensive to incorporate into your home budget. Even if you’re only looking at redecorating a single room, the costs can add up quickly. Do you want to buy carpeting or install hardwood to cover the floors? What paint color will you choose? How much of it will you need to cover the space? Are you going to buy new furniture? What about new light fixtures and other accessories? Don’t forget about wall hangings, either. Here are some budget-friendly ways to decorate.

Don’t start without planning
While proper planning is essential for any home improvement project, its necessity increases tenfold when you’re working on a tight budget. After all, no one wants to find themselves in a situation where they’ve found the perfect couch only to discover that they don’t have enough money in their account or that the non-refundable corner cabinet they’ve ordered online won’t fit into the space. 

First, find your design inspiration. Look at magazines and the internet to figure out what style you’d like to emulate in your design. Then, break the project down into its components, such as flooring, furniture, paint, accessories, and decor. Browse stores to get a solid idea on how much the components will cost. Once you have a price point in mind, take a look at your finances. Be honest about how much you have available for spending. It may take longer than charging purchases on a credit card, but you’ll thank yourself later. 

Use what you’ve already got
There’s no denying that repurposing your old design elements won’t be as exciting as waiting for all new pieces to arrive from the store. But, with a little bit of elbow grease and an investment in free time, it’s possible to totally transform the look of almost any component of your interior design. Plus, it will allow you to save money for must-have purchases later on.

Look around your existing space and think of out-side the box ways to repurpose items that you’re currently using. Do you really need all new kitchen cabinets or can you just get them refaced? Are there hardwood floors underneath the current carpeting? Can you freshen up your old bedroom suit by giving it a new coat of paint?

Choose the right furniture
Working under a budget is often about prioritizing spending. When you’re working with limited resources, you have to spend money where you will get the most bang for your buck. In interior design, that means allocating a large portion of your budget towards purchasing quality furniture.

Furniture is a wise place to spend your money because it will likely last for years. Unlike paint colors that will fall out of style or accessories that will lose their luster after a few years of wear in tear good furniture could last for decades.

Don’t be afraid to use color
Before you take the plunge with paint, be sure you’ve picked a color you love. Pick up a few free palettes from your local home improvement store. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few choices, you can pick up samples of each. Paint small squares of each sample color on each wall of the room see which one you like best. Check on the samples over the course of a few days to see how the colors react to varying amounts of daylight. 

DIY some of the projects
In interior design, the term “decor” typically refers to the items in a room that have no specific function other than to decorate the space. These can be things such as artwork or other wall hangings, decorative rugs, and coffee table assortments. While they are indeed essential to a cohesive design, these items are also the place where you can save the most money.